In our recent articles, my colleagues and I explored the benefits of diversification in the workplace supplies sector. We focused mainly on how organisations can – and arguably must – embrace the opportunities it presents, while navigating the accompanying challenges.
With hindsight, perhaps we should have titled them “Necessity is the mother of invention” – because, to be blunt, change was inevitable. Customer needs evolved, technology advanced, the market shifted, supply chains were disrupted, competition intensified (yes, Amazon Business again) and the user experience was redefined.
So, if you’ve successfully responded to these shifts and refined your customer proposition in any – or all – of these areas, then chapeau to you. In my view, this is now the norm. Diversification – whether that’s spanning several categories or going deeper within a more targeted range that becomes your recognised specialism – will remain essential for any progressive business in our industry.
For this next series of articles, I’d like to shift the focus to what we do with our diversified portfolio. I want to begin with an aspect of the sales solution that hasn’t changed and likely never will: what is it that we’re actually selling? I don’t mean the products or the service levels wrapped around them; I mean the solution itself.
I’ve been fortunate enough to work across several sectors over the years, including everything from traditional OP and tech to furniture and packaging. I’ve collaborated with regional, national and international businesses; with direct and indirect models; with corporates and SMEs – you name it. I’ve also trained and coached professionals in industries as varied as aviation, automotive, software, media and telecoms – the list goes on.
And there is and always has been one constant: every single business is either solving or trying to solve a client challenge. That’s what we’re really selling. We provide answers to business pain points. The catch, however, is that the sales process isn’t always that straightforward. Let me explain why.
Let’s consider two types of customers: those that recognise they have an issue, and those that don’t.
Houston, we have a problem
The customers that know (or think they know) what they need are the easy ones. “I need to save money,” “I need a better service experience” and so on. You engage, demonstrate your capability and job done. Time and again over the years, I’ve seen the problem-solving salesperson do everything right, only to fall at the last hurdle. A pesky competitor steps in, offers a like-for-like solution – not superior, just lower-cost – and wins the deal. “We lost it on price,” or “We are not competitive enough.” If I had a pound for every time I’d heard those lines… And let’s be honest, it’s fair enough. It happens. And no, there’s no silver bullet for it.
Thankfully, sales success is much more nuanced than that. As salespeople, we can only optimise our chances, not guarantee a win (unless we’re lucky enough to have a unique proposition).
The reason many stumble at the end isn’t because they’ve failed to address the core issue – they often have. The problem is, they’ve only resolved the immediate concern, but they haven’t sold the future.
Think of some of the major life (and monetary) decisions you make: buying a car, taking out a mortgage or selecting a school. We’re conditioned to think about the here and now, but always with one eye on what lies ahead. So, as salespeople, we shouldn’t shy away from selling the future.
To do that effectively, you need a solid understanding of your customer’s circumstances and their outlook. What changes do they envisage coming down the line? What’s on the horizon for their business, and for them personally in terms of their role and responsibilities?
If you’re in sales, I’d urge you to make this kind of thinking a habit. Maybe you already do. But I’ve seen far too many cases where there’s a reluctance to sell the future for fear of upsetting the customer.
Addressing issues
Here’s a simple but powerful example: you’re presenting your newly expanded portfolio to a prospective client. They only want to talk about products A and B. So, can you really bring up X, Y and Z when they don’t have ‘problems’ right now; they already have solutions in place?
But here’s the thing: if you’re resolving challenges around A and B, is it not reasonable to suspect a similar need may exist – or arise – with X, Y and Z? Maybe not today. But if it does, how reassuring would it be for the client to know they can rely on your problem-solving solution when the time comes?
My approach is to view a customer’s dilemma as an exploration of their underlying motivation for wanting to resolve it, which typically falls into one of two camps: fear or greed. In my experience, fear is by far the stronger driver. What are they scared will happen if this issue isn’t settled? What sort of disruption will it create for the business? For them personally? How significant is the problem right now and how long can it go unaddressed before it escalates?
By understanding these aspects – or at least some of them – you can then frame your proposal. You’re not just offering a functional fix, but addressing the fear around the potential consequences. It doesn’t matter whether it’s paper clips, packaging or jet engines – the here and now product and service must address the immediate concerns.
But it must also, always, connect back to the broader impact of the problem itself. Any future solution will carry less weight than solving the current issue with A and B; but wouldn’t it be great to alleviate that immediate fear while also providing comfort should it arise again with X, Y and Z?
Identifying the greed motivator follows the same principle. Does the solution not only address the immediate problem but also create opportunities for enhancement in less obvious areas? If a solution can deliver cost or process efficiencies (saving both money and time) while solving the current problem, what potential added benefits come with it?
One of my favourite questions to ask is: “What will you do with the money and/or time this solution will deliver?” This is what I call the ‘sell-through’ of any proposed problem-solving solution and goes beyond the conventional understanding of benefits selling.
It might sound cheeky, but isn’t this what we’re really selling with a diversified solution? If the proposition saves money, would the company reinvest that in driving more sales? Would it boost profits and enable them to invest in areas that grow the business? Would any extra time allow the customer to focus on other areas of the organisation that can deliver further positive impact?
This simple question – however you deliver it – gets straight to the heart of how to sell the future, while also potentially introducing the concept of greed into the conversation.
No worries
The customers that don’t know they have a problem are harder to win. Much harder. Getting their attention takes more effort – and sometimes even a bit of luck – because they don’t yet know they need or could benefit from your help.
This is where the combined efforts of sales and marketing come in. In these cases, the messaging and tone often need to lean more towards greed, showing how their current experience could be improved or enhanced. To be clear, sales and marketing should always be aligned, but the message that positions a business as a potential problem-solver (driven by fear) is different from the one that presents it as a solution enhancer (driven by greed).
Greed remains a powerful motivator, but the challenge today is that marketing campaigns with customer incentives to engage are everywhere. In a crowded market, standing out is more difficult than ever. Does it matter how you get noticed – greed or fear, problem or possibility? Not really. What matters is what happens when you do engage.
Leading with greed is fine, but don’t ignore the potential to identify a problem that the client probably doesn’t know exists. Greed can generate more opportunities than expected, but the real value comes in converting those into actual business. When done well, it opens the door to revealing issues that the customer wasn’t even aware of.
These could include exposure to fluctuating product pricing, unnecessary administrative tasks, inconsistent service levels, product availability issues (those dreaded back orders), a clunky ordering experience, lack of advice or guidance, weak customer service, slow response times, patchy account management or even hidden sustainability impacts.
Combining fear and greed by helping the customer to see these hidden issues and the consequences of not acting now makes it far less likely that they’ll take your greed-only proposal straight to their current supplier to match or slightly improve on.
With a diversified offering, the scope for fear-driven problem solving and greed-driven opportunity expands rapidly. The broader the solution, the more points of entry a service provider has with a customer – and that’s a real advantage.
But the first challenge remains: getting noticed. That’s tough enough on its own. So, when that moment comes, it’s vital not to waste it. Use the opportunity to show how your solution tackles the immediate issue and positions you as the smartest choice for the future.
Gary Naphtali is a director at TSP
